A CONVICTED paedophile has had his jail sentence increased at the High Court.

Stuart Edwards was jailed for three years in October for sexually assaulting a teenage boy in Halstead as well as filming himself abusing two others.

But he has now had his jail sentence increased following representations by specialist officers at Essex Police.

Edwards had previously admitted five counts of sexual assault, three counts of taking an indecent image of a child and one count of voyeurism.

The 34 year-old, formerly of Market Street, Thetford - who used to go by the name Sam Crouch -  had been arrested in September 2018.

This was after Essex Police received a report he had sexually assaulted a teenage boy in Halstead.

Indecent images were then found on his computer after his arrest. 
When he was arrested his laptop and mobile phone were also seized and forensically examined.

On the devices, a number videos were subsequently found including one which showed a teenage boy drying off in a cubicle of a leisure park.

Another two videos also showed Edwards sexually abusing two different boys.

Officers from the Police Online Investigation Team, which protects children from online child sexual abuse, were able to identify the children in the videos.

Investigating officer Detective Sergeant Paul Ross, from Essex Police’s management of sexual offenders and violent offenders team has since appealed against the sentence for being unduly lenient.

At the Court of Appeal, Lord Justice Haddon-Cave, Mr Justice Picken and Her Honour Judge Dhir QC increased Edwards’ sentence to five years in prison an extra two from what he was previously given.

Detective Sergeant Paul Ross said: “Stuart Edwards poses a very real danger to children and this decision acknowledges that.

“He documented the abuse he inflicted and now faces the foreseeable future behind bars.

“The victims showed incredible bravery in reporting what had happened to them.

“I hope this decision will represent justice for them.”